Method for detecting leptin receptor ligands

ABSTRACT

The present application relates to a method for detecting leptin receptor ligands by measuring the energy transfer between fusion proteins composed of leptin receptors and of energy donor and acceptor proteins. It also relates to fusion proteins for implementing this method.

The present invention relates to a method for detecting leptin receptor ligands using the energy transfer between fusion proteins composed of leptin receptors and of energy-donor or energy-acceptor proteins.

It also relates to fusion proteins for implementing this method.

Leptin is a protein having a molecular weight of 16 kDa which is secreted by adipocytes. This protein is associated with the feeling of satiety, and plays a major role in the control of body weight, energy consumption, bone formation and angiogenesis, but also in other physiological functions, such as the triggering of puberty and the control of reproduction, or the regulation of the T-lymphocyte-mediated immune response.

The leptin receptor (OBR) belongs to the family of cytokine receptors. It is composed, as illustrated in FIG. 1, of a single polypeptide chain comprising a transmembrane domain (Tartaglia et al., J. Biol. Chem., 272, 6093-6096, 1995). Patent application Wo 97/19952 relates to this receptor.

Six different isoforms of the OBR, having C-terminal domains with different lengths, have been described. These isoforms all derive from a single gene, by alternative splicing. There also exists a soluble form of OBR containing the leptin-binding site, which corresponds to the extracellular domain of the membrane-bound form. This soluble form, generated post-translationally by proteolysis at the plasma membrane from the membrane-bound forms, is found in the blood.

Another soluble form of the OBR, resulting from a mutation generating a stop codon before the transmembrane domain, is also found is certain very rare cases.

A fusion protein consisting of the long form of the leptin receptor (OBR1) fused to EGFP (Enhanced Green Fluorescence Protein) has been used by Lundin et al. (Biochemica and Biophysica Acta, 1499, 130-138, 2000) to study the location of the receptor.

Activation of the OBR is thought to take place via a tetrameric complex composed of two janus kinases 2 (JAK2) and two OBR. Leptin-induced activation of the receptor will induce a change in the conformation of the OBR, which would itself activate a JAK2, which in turn would trans-phosphorylate another JAK2 and then the OBR receptor.

Activation of the OBR appears to be responsible for all the known effects of leptin, such as weight loss, and all the phenomena involved in weight disorders.

The inhibitory properties of leptin with respect to bone synthesis have thus recently been demonstrated. Leptin acts by inhibiting the activity of osteoblasts, a population of cells responsible for the formation of bones.

Modifying leptinemia might make it possible to treat diseases associated with a decrease in bone density, such as, for example, osteoporosis, or, conversely, those associated with considerable calcification.

In 1999, Xu et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, 151-156) described a method for detecting protein-protein interactions in living cells. This method is also the subject of patent application WO 99/66324.

This method, called BRET (for Bioluminescent Resonance Energy Transfer) is based on a natural phenomenon, the emission of fluorescence by marine organisms. The enzymatic transformation, by Renilla luciferase (Luc), of a substrate which can cross the membrane generates a bioluminescence which, in turn, excites an energy acceptor such as yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). This method corresponds to the LRET (for Luminescent Resonance Energy Transfer) described by Wang et al. (Mol. Gen. Genet. 264: 578-587 (2001)).

The efficiency of the energy transfer depends on the physical proximity and on the respective orientations of the acceptor and of the donor. Thus, the coexpression of luciferase and of YFP is not sufficient to induce an energy transfer since the distance between the two partners must be less than 100 Å. In order to study the interaction between two potential interaction partners, the first protein was fused to luciferase and the second protein to YFP. If the two proteins interact, an energy transfer can be observed. Since then, the BRET method has been used on a limited number of receptors, having a structure very different from the leptin receptor. Thus, some authors describe the use of the method on receptors of the G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family, such as the β 2-adrenergic (Angers et al., 2000, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 10, 1073), cholesystocine type A (CCK; Cheng et al., 2001, Biol. Chem. 276: 48040-48047), and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (Kroeger et al., 2001, J. Biol. Chem. 276: 12736-12743) receptors. These receptors, which are large in size, exhibit a complex structure comprising 7 transmembrane domains. Finally, Boute et al. (2001, Mol. Pharmacol. 60: 640-645) have described the following of activation of the insulin receptor using BRET.

The insulin receptor consists of covalent dimers, and not of noncovalent complexes like the leptin receptor. In addition, it comprises quite a long intracellular portion. Finally, the authors show that the change in BRET induced by insulin can only be implemented on the solubilized receptor.

In a few decades, obesity has become a major public health problem in industrialized countries, where it now affects 20 to 30% of the population. These numbers should further increase alarmingly in the years to come. Due to its multifactorial causes, which originate to greater or lesser degrees among, firstly, environmental factors (dietary behavior, access to food, energy expenditure, etc.) and, secondly, multiple genetic causes, obesity constitutes a real challenge for medicine.

Similarly, bone diseases, such as osteoporosis, affect an increasingly large portion of the population. The discovery of novel molecules for treating the various diseases associated with the leptin receptor, such as obesity and osteoporosis, therefore represents high stakes for public health.

However, no method for specifically screening leptin receptor agonists or antagonists exist, which can be used at high throughput.

The applicants have therefore endeavored to implement a rapid, specific and effective screening test for leptin receptor agonists or antagonists.

They have shown, surprisingly, that the change in BRET induced by leptin can be used on one of the isoforms of the leptin receptor, but that it cannot be implemented with all the isoforms.

They have also shown that the implementation of BRET on the leptin receptor is optimal under certain operating conditions.

The present invention therefore relates to a method for detecting leptin receptor ligands using the resonance energy transfer between a first fusion protein composed of a leptin receptor, or of a substantial portion of a leptin receptor, and of an energy donor protein, or of a substantial and active portion of an energy donor protein, and a second fusion protein composed of a leptin receptor, or of a substantial portion of a leptin receptor, and of an energy acceptor protein, or of a substantial and active portion of an energy acceptor protein.

It also relates to fusion proteins for carrying out this method, and also to nucleic acids encoding these proteins.

A subject of the invention is also a method for the curative or preventive treatment of diseases associated with leptin, consisting in administering a ligand selected using the method defined above to a patient suffering from said disease.

A first subject of the present invention is therefore a fusion protein, which is composed of a leptin receptor, or of a substantial portion of a leptin receptor, and of an energy acceptor or donor protein, or of a substantial and active portion of an energy acceptor or donor protein.

The fusion proteins according to the present invention are composed, in substance, of a portion corresponding to all or part of the sequence of a leptin receptor and of a portion corresponding to an energy donor or acceptor protein. They may, however, comprise other amino acid sequences, derived from other proteins, such as signal sequences. Thus the sequence SEQ ID No. 4 consists of a portion of the sequence SEQ ID No. 2 and of other sequences, and in particular of the signal sequence of mouse interleukin 3.

Advantageously, the energy donor protein is Renilla luciferase. It may, however, be any other energy donor protein, such that the emission spectrum of the donor overlaps sufficiently with the excitation spectrum of the acceptor so as to allow efficient energy transfer between the two parts. It may thus be GFP, if the energy transfer is FRET, or else aequorin if the energy transfer is CRET. Aequorin can be obtained and used as described in patent application EP 0 187 519, or in the article by Inouye et al. (PNAS USA 82: 3154-3158 (1985)).

As regards the energy acceptor fluorescent protein, it is preferentially DsRed, or GFP or a mutant of this protein, such as YFP, EYFP, wild-type GFP, GFPS65T, or Topaz.

It may, however, be any other energy acceptor fluorescent protein, such that the excitation spectrum of the acceptor and the emission spectrum of the donor overlaps sufficiently to allow efficient energy transfer between the two partners.

These proteins are known to those skilled in the art, who can find their sequences in the literature, in particular in the review by Blinks et al. (Pharmacol. Rev. 28: 1-93 (1976)). In particular, GFP is described by Tsien (Annu. Rev. Biochem. 67: 509-544 (1998)) and the cloning thereof is described by Prasher et al. (Gene 111: 229-233 (1992)). As regards the cloning of DsRed, it is described by Matz et al. (Nat. Biotechnol. 17:969-973 (1999)). For Rluc, those skilled in the art can refer to Blinks et al. (Pharmacol. Rev. 28: 1-93 (1976)) or else to Lorenz et al. (PNAS 88: 4438-4442 (1991)).

Advantageously, the isoform of the leptin receptor which is entirely or partly included in the fusion protein is a short isoform, or an isoform exhibiting a short intracellular domain.

Such an isoform advantageously comprises a Box1 intracellular domain, but does not comprise a Box 3 intracellular domain.

Preferentially, this isoform is the OBRs isoform, and even more preferentially the human OBRs isoform. This isoform may, however, come from any other species.

It may also be any other isoform, preferentially short, and even more preferentially comprising at least the extracellular domain of the OBR, such as the soluble form of the OBR containing the leptin-binding site, described by Lee et al. (Nature 379, 632-635 (1996)), Gavrilova et al. (JBC 272: 30546-30551 (1997)), Maamr. et al. (Endocrinology 142: 4389-4393 (2001)) or Clement et al. (Nature 392: 398-401 (1998)).

According to a particularly preferential embodiment, the isoform is the human OBRs isoform of sequence SEQ ID No. 2. It may also be a variant of this protein, exhibiting at least 65%, preferentially at least 75%, and even more preferentially at least 85% or 95%, identity with the sequence SEQ ID No. 2.

The fusion protein may comprise only a portion of the human OBRs isoform. Advantageously it comprises the portion between amino acids 46 and 866 of the sequence SEQ ID No. 2.

The portion corresponding to the leptin receptor may thus have the sequence SEQ ID No. 4, or a variant of this sequence exhibiting at least 65%, preferentially at least 75%, and even more preferentially at least 85% or 95%, identity.

Particularly advantageously, the donor fusion protein has the sequence SEQ ID No. 6, or a variant of this sequence exhibiting at least 65% identity.

Particularly advantageously, the acceptor fusion protein has the sequence SEQ ID No. 8, or a variant of this sequence exhibiting at least 65% identity.

Other subjects of the present invention are nucleic acids encoding these proteins. Such nucleic acids may be complementary or genomic DNAs, or RNAS. These nucleic acids or polynucleotides may be in single-stranded form or in the form of a duplex.

They are particularly advantageously complementary DNAs.

Preferentially, a subject of the invention is a nucleic acid having at least 65%, preferentially at least 75%, and even more preferentially at least 85% or 95%, nucleotide identity with a nucleic acid of sequence SEQ ID No. 5 or SEQ ID No. 7.

According to yet another aspect, the invention relates to a nucleic acid which hybridizes, under high stringency hybridization conditions, with a nucleic acid as defined above, and more particularly a nucleic acid of nucleotide sequences SEQ ID No. 5 and SEQ ID No. 7, or a nucleic acid of complementary sequence.

For the purpose of the present invention, the “percentage identity” between two nucleotide or amino acid sequences can be determined by comparing two optimally aligned sequences through a window of comparison.

The portion of the nucleotide or polypeptide sequence in the window of comparison can thus comprise additions or deletions (for example gaps) relative to the reference sequence (which does not comprise these additions or these deletions) so as to obtain optimal alignment of the two sequences.

The percentage is calculated by determining the number of positions at which an identical nucleic acid base or amino acid residue is observed for the two (nucleic acid or peptide) sequences compared, then dividing the number of positions at which there is identity between the two bases or amino acid residues by the total number of positions in the window of comparison, then multiplying the result by 100 in order to obtain the percentage sequence identity.

The optimal alignment of the sequences for the comparison can be carried out on a computer using known algorithms contained in the WISCONSIN GENETICS SOFTWARE PACKAGE, GENETICS COMPUTER GROUP (GCG), 575 Science Drive, Madison, Wis.

By way of illustration, the percentage sequence identity may be effected using the BLAST program (versions BLAST 1.4.9 of March 1996, BLAST 2.0.4 of February 1998 and BLAST 2.0.6 of September 1998), using exclusively the default parameters (S. F. Altschul et al., J. Mol. Biol. 1990 215: 403-410, S. F. Altschul et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 1997 25: 3389-3402). Blast searches for sequences similar/homologous to a reference “request” sequence, using the algorithm of Altschul et al. The request sequence and the databases used may be peptide- or nucleic acid-related, any combination being possible.

For the purpose of the present invention, the expression “high stringency hybridization conditions” will be intended to mean the following conditions:

1—Membrane Competition and Prehybridization:

-   40 μl of salmon sperm DNA (10 mg/ml)+40 μl of human placental DNA     (10 mg/ml) are mixed. -   The mixture is denatured for 5 min at 96° C., and then immersed in     ice. -   The 2×SSC is removed and 4 ml of formamide mix are poured into the     hybridization tube containing the membranes. -   The mixture of the two denatured DNAs is added. -   Incubation is carried out at 42° C. for 5 to 6 hours, with rotation.     2—Labeled Probe Competition: -   10 to 50 μl of Cot I DNA, depending on the amount of repetitions,     are added to the labeled and purified probe. -   Denaturation is carried out for 7 to 10 min at 95° C. -   Incubation is carried out at 65° C. for 2 to 5 hours.     3—Hybridization: -   The prehybridization mix is removed. -   40 μl of salmon sperm DNA+40 μl of human placental DNA are mixed;     the mixture is denatured for 5 min at 96° C., and then immersed in     ice. -   4 ml of formamide mix, the mixture of the two DNAs and the denatured     labeled probe/Cot I DNA are added to the hybridization tube. -   Incubation is carried out for 15 to 20 hours at 42° C., with     rotation.     4—Washes: -   One wash is carried out at ambient temperature in 2×SSC, to rinse. -   Two 5-minute washes are carried out at ambient temperature, 2×SSC     and 0.1% SDS at 65° C. -   Two 15-minute washes are carried out at 65° C., 1×SSC and 0.1% SDS     at 65° C.     The membranes are wrapped in Saran wrap and exposed.

The hybridization conditions described above are suitable for the hybridization under high stringency conditions of a nucleic acid molecule of variable length of 20 nucleotides for several hundred nucleotides.

It goes without saying that the hybridization conditions described above can be adjusted as a function of the length of the nucleic acid the hybridization of which is sought, or of the type of labeling chosen, according to techniques known to those skilled in the art.

The suitable hybridization conditions may, for example, be adjusted according to the teaching contained in the work by HAMES and HIGGINS (1985, “Nucleic acid hybridization: a practical approach”, Hames and Higgins Ed., IRL Press, Oxford) or else in the work by F. AUSUBEL et al. (1989, Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Green Publishing Associates and Wiley Interscience, N.Y.).

The proteins which are the subject of the present invention can be obtained by any means known to those skilled in the art. They are, however, advantageously obtained by expression of the nucleic acids as described above, encoding these proteins, optionally inserted into expression vectors, in advantageously chosen cells, optionally followed by an extraction or a purification which may be total or partial.

The invention also relates to a recombinant vector comprising a nucleic acid according to the invention.

Advantageously, such a recombinant vector will comprise a nucleic acid chosen from the following nucleic acids:

a) a nucleic acid encoding a protein having at least 65% amino acid identity with a sequence SEQ ID No. 6 or SEQ ID No. 8, or a peptide fragment or a variant thereof;

b) a nucleic acid comprising a polynucleotide having a sequence SEQ ID No. 5 or SEQ ID No. 7, or a fragment or a variant thereof;

c) a nucleic acid having at least 65% nucleotide identity with a nucleic acid having a sequence SEQ ID No. 5 or SEQ ID No. 7, or a fragment or a variant thereof;

d) a nucleic acid which hybridizes, under high stringency hybridization conditions, with a nucleic acid of sequence SEQ ID No. 5 or SEQ ID No. 7, or a fragment or a variant thereof.

For the purpose of the present invention, the term “vector” will be intended to mean a circular or linear DNA or RNA molecule which is indifferently in single-stranded or double-stranded form.

According to one embodiment, the expression vector comprises, besides a nucleic acid in accordance with the invention, regulatory sequences for directing the transcription and/or the translation thereof.

According to an advantageous embodiment, a recombinant vector according to the invention will in particular comprise the following elements:

(1) elements for regulating the expression of the nucleic acid to be inserted, such as promoters and enhancers;

(2) the coding sequence included in the nucleic acid in accordance with the invention to be inserted into such a vector, said coding sequence being placed in phase with the regulatory signals described in (1); and

(3) suitable transcription initiation and stop sequences.

In addition, the recombinant vectors according to the invention may include one or more origins of replication in the cellular hosts in which their amplification or their expression is desired, markers or selectable markers.

By way of example, the promoters for eukaryotic cells will comprise the HSV virus thymidine kinase promoter or else the mouse metallothionein-L promoter.

In general, for the choice of a suitable promoter, those skilled in the art may advantageously refer to the work by SAMBROOK et al. (1989, “Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual”, 2nd ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) or else to the techniques described by FULLER et al. (1996, Immunology in Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Ausubel et al.).

The preferred vectors according to the invention are plasmids, such as, for example, vectors pCDNA3 (Invitrogen), pQE70, pQE60, pQE9 (Qiagen), psix174, pBluescript SA, pNH8A, pNH16A, pNH18A, pNH46A, PWLNEO, pSV2CAT, pOG44, pXTI or pSG (Stratagene).

They may also be vectors of the baculovirus type, such as the vector pVL1392/1392 (Pharmingen) used to transfect cells of the Sf9 line (ATCC No. CRL 1711) derived from Spodoptera frugiperda.

They may also be adenoviral vectors, such as human adenovirus type 2 or 5.

A recombinant vector according to the invention may also be a retroviral vector or alternatively an adeno-associated vector (AAV). Such adeno-associated vectors are, for example, described by FLOTTE et al. (1992, Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., 7: 349-356).

Subjects of the present invention are also cells comprising a protein, a nucleic acid or a vector as described above, or fragments of these cells, lysates of these cells or else membranes of these cells.

Such cells may be cells isolated from an organism and cultured in an appropriate growth medium. They are, however, preferentially cell lines. Thus, such lines are particularly advantageously the cell lines HEK 293, COS (ATCC No. CRL 1650), COS-M6 and HeLa (ATCC No. CCL2), or else Cv 1 (ATCC No. CC170), Sf-9 (ATCC No. CRL 1711), CHO (ATCC No. CCL-61) or 3T3 (ATCC No. CRL-6361).

The membranes of these cells can be prepared by any method known to those skilled in the art. Preferentially, they will be prepared by mechanical grinding of the cells, and then centrifugation of the suspensions obtained, as illustrated in the examples which follow.

The present invention also relates to compositions comprising cells as described above and saponin.

The present invention also relates to a method for determining the binding of compounds to the leptin receptor, comprising the steps consisting in:

-   bringing said compound into contact with an energy donor fusion     protein as described above and an energy acceptor fusion protein as     described above, or cells, or fragments or lysates or membranes of     cells comprising such a protein, and an appropriate enzyme     substrate, and -   measuring the energy transfer.

Preferentially, said method is used with cells treated with saponin.

The energy donor fusion proteins and the energy acceptor fusion proteins are chosen such that the energy resulting from the activation of the donor may be transferred efficiently to the acceptor

In an advantageous embodiment of said method, the energy donor fusion protein is a protein from fusion between the leptin receptor, or a substantial portion of the leptin receptor, and luciferase, or a substantial portion of luciferase, in which case the substrate is advantageously coelenterazine.

In a preferential embodiment of said method, the energy acceptor fusion protein is a protein from fusion between the leptin receptor, or a substantial portion of the leptin receptor, and YFP, or a substantial portion of YFP.

In an advantageous embodiment of said method, the energy transfer measured in the presence of the test compound is compared to that measured in the absence of the test compound.

Preferentially, the method is used on cell membranes as described above.

Preferentially, the donor and acceptor proteins according to the present invention are chosen such that the energy transfer takes place by BRET or LRET resonance. However, such an energy transfer may be effected by FRET (Fluorescent Resonance Energy Transfer) or else by CRET (Chemiluminescent Resonance Energy Transfer).

Whatever the type of energy transfer, the energy donor fusion protein/energy acceptor fusion protein pairs are chosen so as to allow such a transfer.

CRET consists of energy transfer between aequorin, which is a luciferase, and GFP.

FRET consists of energy transfer between two proteins of the GFP families having different spectra. For the implementation of these transfers, those skilled in the art may refer to Baubet et al. (PNAS USA 97: 7260-7265 (2000)) for CRET, to Matyus (J. Photochem. Photobiol. B 12: 323-337 (1992)) and Pollok and Heim (Trends Cell Biol. 9: 57-60 (1999)) for FRET.

Another subject of the present invention is a method for screening or detecting compounds intended for the prevention and/or treatment of pathological conditions associated with leptin, comprising the steps consisting in:

-   bringing said compound into contact with an energy donor fusion     protein as described above and an energy acceptor fusion protein as     described above, or cells in the absence or presence of saponin, or     fragments or lysates or membranes of cells, comprising such     proteins, and optionally an appropriate enzyme substrate, and -   measuring the energy transfer.

Such a method may be used for screening leptin receptor agonists or antagonists.

The method according to the present invention is compatible with the 96-well or 384-well plates generally used. It does not require the use of radio-active molecules, is sensitive, reproducible and rapid, and the result is easy to read. Specifically, this method has a good signal/background noise ratio and low cross reactivity with ligands other than leptin. This is explained at least partially by the fact that the activity of the OBR is detected directly at the level of the receptor, which makes it possible to eliminate possible sources of cross reactivity at other levels of the signaling pathways, as can be observed in the case of assays based on reporter genes or on cell growth. In addition, this method is not limited to a transduction pathway having a specific signal, but, on the contrary, is capable of detecting all molecules which interact with the OBR.

This characteristic is particularly advantageous for carrying out large-scale screening, since an increasing number of membrane receptor ligands are found to activate some pathways but not other pathways.

The present invention also relates to the use of compounds selected using a method consisting in:

-   bringing said compound into contact with an energy donor fusion     protein and an energy acceptor fusion protein as described above, or     cells, or fragments or lysates or membranes of cells comprising such     a protein, and optionally an appropriate enzyme substrate, and -   measuring the energy transfer, for producing a medicinal product for     the curative or preventive treatment of diseases associated with     leptin or with its receptor.

Finally, a subject of the invention is a method for the curative or preventive treatment of diseases associated with leptin or with its receptor, comprising the steps of:

-   selecting said compound using a method consisting in: -   bringing said compound into contact with an energy donor fusion     protein and an energy acceptor fusion protein, or cells, or     fragments, lysates or membranes of cells comprising such a protein,     and an appropriate enzyme substrate, and -   measuring the energy transfer, and -   of administering said compound to a patient suffering from said     disease.

Such diseases may be diseases associated with a decrease in bone density, such as, for example, osteoporosis, or, conversely, those associated with considerable calcification.

They may also be diseases having an effect on weight, such as obesity, diabetes or anorexia. The compounds of the invention may be formulated in pharmaceutical compositions for the purpose of topical, oral, parenteral, intranasal, intravenous, intra-muscular, subcutaneous, intraocular, etc. administration. Preferentially, the pharmaceutical compositions contain pharmaceutically acceptable vehicles for an injectable formulation. They may in particular be salines (monosodium phosphate, disodium phosphate, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride or magnesium chloride, etc., or mixtures of such salts), sterile, isotonic solutions, or dry, in particular lyophilized, compositions which, by addition, as appropriate, of sterilized water or of physiological saline, make it possible to constitute injectable solutes.

Finally, the method according to the present invention also makes it possible to screen serum from obese patients, for the presence or absence of nonfunctional leptin, or else to screen molecules which interfere with the dimerization of the OBR.

FIG. 1 diagrammatically represents the fusion proteins. Box1 represents the JAK2-binding site; Box3 represents the STAT protein-binding site; TM represents the transmembrane domain.

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b illustrate the expression of the OBR constructs in COS cells, estimated by radio-labeling experiments using ¹²⁵I-leptin as radio ligand.

In FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, the total cell content of OBR and the percentage of cell surface binding sites are respectively measured.

FIG. 2 c illustrates the cellular location of the expression of the OBR1-YFP and OBRs-YFP construct in the presence and absence of leptin.

FIG. 2 d illustrates the activation of JAK2 with various OBR constructs. FIG. 2 e illustrates the effect of the stimulation with leptin of cells coexpressing the reporter gene for STAT3 and various OBR constructs.

FIG. 3 illustrates the constitutive dimerization of OBR. HEK 293 cells expressing the various OBR constructs indicated are incubated in the presence of coelenterazine. The energy transfer is measured using a luminometer.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b illustrate the effect of leptin binding on the constitutive BRET of the OBR.

FIG. 4 a: HeLa cells expressing the various OBR constructs indicated are incubated in the presence of leptin before initiating the luciferase reaction. The energy transfer is measured using a luminometer.

FIG. 4 b: The effect of leptin is compared in whole cells coexpressing OBRs-Luc and OBR-YFP, in the presence or absence of saponin, in total lysates and in membrane preparations.

FIGS. 5 a to 5 e illustrate the optimization and the characterization of the change in BRET induced by leptin on the OBRs. Membranes prepared from HeLa or COS cells coexpressing OBRs-Luc and OBRs-YFP were pre-incubated with or without leptin before initiating the luciferase reaction.

FIG. 5 a: Optimization of the relative and absolute levels of expression of OBRs-Luc and of OBRs-YFP.

FIG. 5 b: Variation of the BRET signal induced with leptin as a function of time.

FIG. 5 c: BRET/leptin concentration dose-response curves on membrane and intact cells in the presence of saponin (0.05%).

FIG. 5 d: ¹²⁵I-leptin binding competition by augmentation of increasing concentrations of leptin.

FIG. 5 e: Specificity of the changes in BRET induced with leptin. The membranes were preincubated with saturating concentrations of erythropoietin (EPO, 10 U/ml), of trombopoietin (TPO, 10 nM), of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF, 250 ng/ml), of interleukin 3 (IL3, 280 ng/ml), of interleukin 6 (IL6, 100 ng/ml), of prolactin (PRL, 200 ng/ml), of stem cell factor α (SCFA, 250 ng/ml), of epidermal growth factor (EGF, 100 ng/ml), of insulin (Ins, 100 nM), of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 ng/ml) and of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα, 50 ng/ml).

FIG. 6: Cotransfection of COS cells with a constant amount of OB-Rs-Luc (50 ng) and an increasing amount of OB-Rs-YFP: ∘, 200 ng; ●, 400 ng; Δ, 800; ♦, 1600; ⋄, 3 200. The BRET measurements were made on the cells in the presence of saponin (0.015%), incubated or not incubated with increasing doses of leptin, and are expressed as mBRET.

The present invention is illustrated, without however being limited, by the following examples.

MATERIALS AND METHODS USED IN THE EXAMPLES

Plasmid Constructs, Transfections and Cell Culture

The OB-R-YFP and OB-R-Luc fusion proteins were constructed by ligation of YFP and of Luc to the C-terminal end of the receptors by conventional molecular biology techniques. The coding regions of YFP obtained from the vector pGFPtpz-N1 Cytogem®-Topaze (Packard, Meriden, Conn.) were inserted into the EcoRV site of pcDNA3/CMV (Invitrogen, Groningen, The Netherlands), which contains a modified polylinker site. The coding region of Renilla luciferase was obtained from pRL-CMV (Promega, Madison, Wis.) and inserted into the EcoRV site of pcDNA3 modified. The coding regions of OBR1 and OBRs (a gift from Dr. Gainsford, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia) were inserted into the two vectors described above, respectively in the EcoR1/BamH1 and Nhe1 cloning sites. The stop codons were deleted by site-directed mutagenesis and the frame of the fusion protein was adjusted.

The HEK 293, COS-M6 and HeLa cell lines were cultured in DMEM supplemented with the following components: 10% (v/v) FBS, 4.5 g/liter glucose, 100 U/ml penicillin, 0.1 mg/ml streptomycin, 1 mM glutamine (Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, Md.).

The transient transfections were carried out using the FuGene 6 transfection reagent (Roche, Basle, Switzerland).

Fluorescence Microscopy

Two days after transfection with the YFP constructs, the cells were incubated with 100 nM leptin for 60 min and 0.01 mM bisbenzamidine for 15 min before being washed in PBS and fixed for 20 min at ambient temperature in a cold solution of 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS. The sections were observed by fluorescent microscopy using FITC and DAPI filters.

Preparation of Membranes and Solubilization

The cells were placed in ice, washed twice in PBS at the temperature of the ice and detached mechanically in a buffer 1 (5 mM Tris, 2 mM EDTA, pH 7.4, 5 mg/liter of soybean trypsin inhibitor, 5 mg/liter of leupeptin and 10 mg/liter of benzamidine) at the temperature of ice. The cell suspensions are homogenized with a Polytron homogenizer (Janke & Kunkel Ultra-Turrax T25) three times for 5 sec. The lysate is centrifuged at 450×g for 5 min at 4° C. and the supernatant is centrifuged at 48 000×g for 30 min at 4° C. The final pellet is washed twice in buffer 1 and resuspended in a solution (75 mM Tris (pH 7.4), 12.5 mM MgCl₂, 5 mM EDTA with protease inhibitors, as described above) and immediately used in radioactive ligand-binding experiments or BRET experiments.

Immunoprecipitation of JAK2

HeLa cells were cotransfected with plasmids expressing JAK2 labeled with HA2 (a gift from Dr. Wojchowski, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, USA) and plasmids containing various OBR constructs. The cells were lysed in lysis buffer (10 mM Tris, 150 mM NaCl, 5 mM EDTA, 5% glycerol, 0.02% NaN₃, 0.1% NP40, 1 mM orthovanadate, 5 mg/liter of soybean trypsin inhibitor and 10 mg/liter of benzamidine) and centrifuged for 15 min at 13 000 rpm. The soluble fraction is immuno-precipitated for 2 h with an anti-JAK2 polyclonal antibody (HR-758) (1 μg/ml) (Santa-Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, Calif.).

SDS-Page Immunoabsorption

The JAK2 immunoprecipitates were denatured in the solution (62.5 mM Tris/HCl (pH 6.8), 5% SDS, 10% glycerol and 0.05% bromophenol blue), at 100° C. for 10 minutes. The proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE in 7% polyacrylamide, and transferred onto nitrocellulose. The immunodetection was carried out with an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody 4G10 (2 μg/ml) (Upstate Biotechnology, Lake Placid, N.Y.). The immunoreactivity was revealed using an appropriate secondary antibody coupled to horseradish peroxidase, and the ECL chemiluminescence agent (Amersham, Aylesbury, UK).

¹²⁵I-leptin-binding Assay

Transfected cells were serum depleted in DMEM (1% BSA) 24 h before the binding experiments. To measure the leptin binding to the surface of the cells, the cells were washed twice with PBS at the temperature of ice and incubated in a binding buffer (DMEM, 25 mM Hepes, pH 7.4, 1% BSA) containing 100 000 cpm/well of ¹²⁵I-leptin (Perkin Elmer life sciences, Paris, France) in the presence or absence of 200 nM of nonradioactive leptin (recombinant human leptin (PeproTech Inc., USA)) for 4 h at 4° C. The cells were washed twice with PBS at the temperature of ice, lysed in 1N NaOH and the radioactivity was determined in a gamma-radiation counter. In order to measure the total amount of leptin binding in the extract, the cells were suspended in 1.5 ml of binding buffer containing 0.15% of digitonin for 2 h at 4° C. The extracts were centrifuged for 30 min in an Eppendorf centrifuge at maximum speed, at 4° C. The supernatant (0.2 ml) was incubated with 100 000 cpm of ¹²⁵I-leptin in the presence or absence of 200 nM of leptin in a total volume of 0.25 ml, with stirring overnight at 4° C.

0.5 ml of γ-globulin (1.25 mg/ml) and 0.5 ml of polyethylene glycol 6000 (25% w/v) were added in order to precipitate the receptor-ligand complexes, which are obtained by centrifugation (17 000×g for 3 min). The pellet was washed with 1 ml of 12% (w/v) polyethylene glycol 6000, and then counted.

Activation of the Reporter Gene

HeLa cells were cotransfected with 2.6 μg of plasmids carrying the STAT3 reporter gene (a gift from Dr. Levy, New York University, New York, USA), 200 pg of pcDNA3 comprising the coding region of Renilla luciferase (used as internal control) and with 1.4 μg of the various OBR constructs or with the vehicle alone. 48 hours after transfection, the cells were depleted overnight in DMEM (1% BSA) before stimulation with 1 nM of leptin for 6-8 hours. The cells were then washed and lysed in a passive lysis buffer (Promega Corporation, Madison, Wis.) for 15 minutes at ambient temperature. The total lysates were centrifuged for 2 minutes at 15 000 rpm and the supernatants were used in an assay for measuring Luciferase (Promega Corporation, Madison, Wis.) using a Berthold luminometer (Lumat LB 9507). The results are expressed by the ratio of the firefly luciferase/Renilla luciferase activity.

Measurement of BRET

48 hours after transfection, HeLa, COS and HEK 293 cells expressing OBR were detached and washed with PBS. 1-2×105 cells were distributed into 96-well optical plates (Packard Instrument Company, Meriden, Conn.) in the presence or absence of ligands, at 25° C. Membranes prepared from cells expressing OBR were used for the measurements of BRET. The substrate, coelenterazine h (Molecular Probes, Eugene, Oreg.), was added at a final concentration of 5 μM and the reading was carried out with a Fusion™ fluoro/luminometer (Packard Instrument Company, Meriden, Conn.), which permits the sequential integration of the luminescence signals detected with two filters (Luc filter: 485±10 nm; YFP filter: 530±12.5 nm). The BRET ratio is defined as the difference in the emission at 530 nm/485 nm of the cotransfected Luc and YFP fusion proteins and the emission at 530 nm/485 nm of the Luc fusion protein alone. The results are expressed in milliBRET units (mBU), 1 mBRET unit corresponding to the value of the BRET ratio multiplied by 1 000. The following ligands were used to determine the specificity of the assay: recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), insulin (Ins), lipopolysaccharide (LPS, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, USA), recombinant human trombopoietin (TPO), GM-CSF, interleukin 3 (IL3), interleukin 6 (IL6), prolactin (PRL), SCF, EGF and TNFA.

Example 1 Functional Expression of the OBR Fusion Proteins

The long form (OBR1) and the short form (OBRs) of the OBR were-fused at their C-terminal ends with YFP or Luc (FIG. 1). The expression of these fusion proteins was confirmed in transfected COS cells in binding experiments with ¹²⁵I-leptin (FIG. 2 a). Similar results were obtained in transfected HeLa cells.

The expression, at the surface of the cells, of the fusion proteins and of wild-type receptors expressed in the COS cells vary between 5 and 10%, which is in agreement with already known values. Similar values are obtained in HEK 293 cells expressing endogenous OBR (14±3%).

The location of the OBR fusion proteins in the HeLa cells was studied by fluorescence microscopy using the proteins from fusion with YFP. The fluorescence due to OBR1-YFP is distributed in a punctate fashion in the cells whereas that due to OBRs-YFP is located in plaques. Stimulation with leptin localized OBR1-YFP in large intracellular plaques probably corresponding to the endosomal compartment. The location of OBRs-YFP does not change significantly. The results obtained by fluorescence microscopy confirm the predominant location of OBR in the intracellular compartment and are coherent with the already known location of the OBR1-GFP fusion protein in COS cells.

The functional expression of the fusion proteins is evaluated by measuring the activation of the JAK-STAT pathway. The JAK2 kinases are associated with intra-cellular domains of OBRs and OBR1. Ligand binding induces trans-phosphorylation of JAK2 and phosphorylation of OBR1, but not of OBRS. Phosphorylated OBR1 then provides a site attachment for the STAT proteins, which are activated by phosphorylation of the tyrosine after binding to the receptor. The activated STAT proteins then dimerize and are translocated to the nucleus, where they stimulate gene transcription via STAT responsive elements, as described by Tartaglia (1997, J. Biol. Chem. 272, 6093-6096).

As shown in FIG. 2 c, all the OBRs constructs induce JAK2 phosphorylation, which indicates activation of JAK2. The activity of the STAT3 reporter gene is activated 2- to 4-fold by OBR1-wt and the OBR1 fusion proteins, whereas the short isoforms have no effect on the activity of the reporter gene. These results indicate that the OBR fusion proteins are functionally expressed in the HeLa cells.

Example 2 Constitutive Dimerization of OBR in Living Cells

The dimerization of OBR-Luc and OBR-YFP was studied in living cells.

Significant energy transfers were observed between OBRs-Luc and OBRs-YFP and also between OBR1-Luc and OBR1-YFP, expressed in equimolar amounts, which indicates that constitutive homodimers exist for the two receptors (FIG. 3 a, b). The existence of the OBRs/OBR1 hetero dimers in the living cells is demonstrated by the detection of BRET between OBRs-Luc and OBR1-YFP, and also between OBR1-Luc and OBRs-YFP.

The specificity of these interactions is illustrated by the absence of significant transfer between OBRs-Luc and OBR1-Luc and a protein from fusion between YFP and the insulin receptor recently described (Boute et al., 2001, mentioned above).

These results indicate that the short and long isoforms are involved in hetero- and homocomplexes in living cells.

Example 3 Effect of Leptin Binding on Constitutive BRET of the OBR

In order to evaluate the agonist effects on the constitutive BRET, the cells were preincubated with leptin before initiating the luciferase reaction with its substrate.

No change in the constitutive BRET is observed with the OBR1 homodimers and the two combinations of hetero dimers OBRs/OBR1, whereas the BRET is increased with the OBRs homodimers (FIG. 4 a).

The changes in BRET of the OBRs homodimers induced by leptin were then measured in various cell preparations. Mechanical rupture of the cells in a hypotonic buffer significantly enhances the increase in BRET with leptin, whereas the basal BRET remains unchanged.

Similar results were obtained with the membrane fraction after separation from the cytosol. While all the OBRs-Luc/OBRs-YFP couples contribute to the basal BRET, only the receptors exposed to the cell surface (5-10%) can be stimulated by leptin, which is impermeable to the membranes in intact cells.

Disruption of the cell membranes increases the OBR fraction which is accessible to leptin and which is responsible for the increase in the BRET induced by leptin.

Similar results were obtained on cells treated with saponin. This component makes holes in the membranes and allows penetration of proteins such as leptin into the intracellular compartments where the majority of the OBR are found.

No change in leptin-induced BRET was observed in similar experiments carried out with preparations using cells expressing OBR1 homodimers—or OBRs/OBR1 hetero-dimers.

The amounts of and the ratios of OBRs-Luc and OBRS-YFP were then modulated in order to optimize the leptin-induced BRET (FIG. 5 a). The best results are obtained when 500 ng of DNA encoding OBRs-Luc and 250 ng of DNA encoding OBRs-YFP are used. Under these optimized conditions, a saturated concentration of leptin induces a 2- to 2.5-fold increase in the basal BRET signal in cells incubated with saponin or membranes prepared from cells expressing OBRs homodimers. This increase depends on time. The maximum values are reached after 20 minutes of incubation with 1 nM leptin at ambient temperature (FIG. 5 b). For higher concentrations of leptin, the maximum values are obtained after 5 minutes of incubation at ambient temperature.

The effect of the leptin is dose-dependent, with an EC50 of approximately 100 pM (FIG. 5 c), which is in agreement with the Ki values obtained with the OBRs-Luc (116 pM) and OBRS-YFP (35 pM) fusion proteins (FIG. 5 d). The specificity of the assay is demonstrated by the absence of BRET induced by the ligand with a saturating concentration of several cytokines and other membrane receptor ligands, such as erythropoietin, thrombopoietin, GM-CSF, IL3, IL6, PRL, SCFα, EGF, insulin, LPS and TNFα.

The distribution of the receptors in dimers follows statistical laws, and at a 1/1 receptor number ratio, the following distribution is expected if all the receptors are in dimeric form: 1/4 Luc/Luc, 1/4 YFP/YFP and 1/2 receptors capable of engendering a BRET signal (1/4 Luc/YFP, 1/4 YFP/Luc). However, in the BRET measurements, all of the molecules fused to Luc give a luminescence signal and therefore, at a 1/1 ratio, half the receptors capable of BRET are observed, on a total donor population. Thus, to increase the BRET signal, experiments were carried out in which the Luc molecules were saturated with the YFP molecules so as to have all the Luc molecules in the form of dimers with the YFP molecules (capable of BRET). The results in FIG. 6 show that the basal BRET signal increases during the saturation and that the induction with leptin is proportional to the basal signal, with a 2- to 2.5-fold stimulation of the basal BRET. At saturation, a better resolution of the basal and induced BRET is obtained, allowing easier screening for the search for molecules. 

1. A fusion protein, which is composed of a leptin receptor having a short intracellular domain or of a soluble form of such a receptor containing the leptin-binding site, or of a substantial portion of such a leptin receptor; and of an energy donor or energy acceptor protein, or of a substantial and active portion of an energy donor or energy acceptor protein.
 2. The fusion protein as claimed in claim 1, wherein the leptin receptor is a short isoform.
 3. The fusion protein as claimed in claim 1, wherein the leptin receptor is an isoform comprising a Box1 intracellular domain, but not comprising a Box 3 intracellular domain.
 4. The fusion protein as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the leptin receptor is the OBRs isoform.
 5. The fusion protein as claimed in claim 1, wherein the leptin receptor is the human OBRs isoform of sequence SEQ ID No. 2, or a variant of this receptor exhibiting at least 65% identity with the sequence SEQ ID No.
 2. 6. The fusion protein as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sequence of the leptin receptor is the sequence of amino acids 46 to 866 of the human OBRs isoform of sequence SEQ ID No. 2, or a variant of this sequence exhibiting at least 65% identity.
 7. The protein fusion as claimed in claim 1, wherein the leptin receptor has the sequence SEQ ID No. 4, or a variant of this sequence exhibiting at least 65% identity.
 8. The fusion protein as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protein is a luciferase.
 9. The fusion protein as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protein is GFP or a mutant of this protein or DsRed.
 10. The fusion protein as claimed in claim 1, wherein the GFP mutant is YFP, EYFP, wild-type GFP, GFPS65T, or Topaz.
 11. The fusion protein as claimed in claim 1, which has the sequence SEQ ID No. 6, or a variant of this sequence exhibiting at least 65% identity.
 12. The fusion protein as claimed in claim 1, which has the sequence SEQ ID No. 8, or a variant of this sequence exhibiting at least 65% identity.
 13. A nucleic acid encoding one of the proteins as claimed in claim
 1. 14. The nucleic acid as claimed in claim 13, which has the sequence SEQ ID No.
 5. 15. The nucleic acid as claimed in claim 13, which has the sequence SEQ ID No.
 7. 16. A nucleic acid exhibiting at least 65% identity with a sequence as claimed in either of claims 14 or
 15. 17. A nucleic acid which hybridizes, under high stringency conditions, with a sequence as claimed in either of claims 14 or
 15. 18. A cell comprising a nucleic acid as claimed in claim
 13. 19. A cell expressing a protein as claimed in claim
 1. 20. A fragment of a cell as claimed in either of claims 18 or
 19. 21. A lysate of a cell as claimed in either of claims 18 or
 19. 22. A membrane of a cell as claimed in either of claims 18 or
 19. 23. A composition comprising cells as claimed in either of claims 18 or 19; and saponin.
 24. A method for the curative or preventive treatment of diseases associated with leptin or with its receptor, comprising: −selecting a compound using a method of: +bringing said compound into contact with an energy donor fusion protein as claimed in one of claims 1 to 12 and an energy acceptor fusion protein as claimed in one of claims 1 to 12, or cells, or fragments lysates or membranes of cells comprising such a protein, and optionally an appropriate enzyme substrate, and +measuring the energy transfer; and −administering said compound to a patient suffering from one of said diseases. 